Q&A hijacked by protesters, Anna Burke praises Christopher Pyne

Judith Ireland, Rachel Browne

Former speaker Anna Burke has praised Christopher Pyne's composure on the ABC's Q&A, saying the Education Minister handled a protest from university students "brilliantly", while the show's crew were rattled by the episode.

The ABC had to temporarily abandon its live broadcast on Monday night, after the student group began to protest about proposed higher education cuts.

The students unfurled a banner about an upcoming protest over the set where the panel - which also included Ms Burke - was sitting and began to chant. When host Tony Jones could not control the chanting, the ABC temporarily cut to an old episode of the program, while the students were evicted from the ABC1 studios.

Ms Burke explained on Tuesday morning that because the protesters were behind the panel, it was difficult for Jones to address the group, "so I'm going to defend him a bit".

As the protest continued, Mr Pyne joked to Jones, "does this mean you won't have me again?".

In the lead up to the protest, the students launched a series of questions aimed at Mr Pyne, focussing on proposed changes to higher education, which would entail increased competition from private colleges and higher fees.

The protest provoked an instant reaction on social media, sparking a debate about democracy and how Jones handled the protest.

Australian Liberal Students' Federation spokesperson Matthew Lesh condemned the disruption to the debate that had been taking place on the show.

"This demonstration displays the willingness of the extreme left to use disruptive and ferocious methods," Mr Lesh said.

“Tonight’s protests are an embarrassment to students, and do not in any sense represent the regular student body."

A number of Twitter users praised the students' efforts in drawing attention to the higher education cuts and criticised their forced removal from the studio. But others disagreed, saying the unruly protest was damaging their cause.

"The riot on #qanda is indicative of how deeply Australians feel about the destruction of education the Abbott Govt is inflicting on us," education commentator Maralyn Parker tweeted.